The Beginning

I've always been the type of person with a million different interests. If I went to an art gallery, I would sign up for a painting class. If I met a pilot, I would read books about aviation. Whether it was due to lack of motivation or lack of talent, none of these interests ever went further than a brief investigation into the subject. With MMA, it was different. When I saw two people punching and kicking each other on tv, I had no desire to do it. I had always played basketball and had an interest in the more traditional sports...the ones that didn't seem to end with blood spattered across the playing field. It took a much deeper look into the sport for me to realize my passion for it.

A few years ago, I went to a local gym. I wanted to get back to some light weight lifting and tone up a bit more. The membership counselor spoke with me for a short time and suggested that I would be a great fit for their MMA camp. My height and build was ideal, and female fighters were in high demand. He suggested that I try out a class for free. Partly due to my curiosity and partly due to my excitement at the word “free”, I decided to take him up on the offer.

That night, I tried out a Muay Thai class. The instructor was a drill-sergeant like Thai fighter with legs thicker than tree trunks. Ignoring my lack of coordination, he pulled me aside and taught me the proper way to throw punches and round kicks. I joined in with the rest of the class, and although I felt awkward and uncertain, I had an incredible workout that left me eager to try another class. The workout had managed to work my legs, core, and arms more than anything I had done before, and it only took 45 minutes. For the next few months, I trained hard and tried to master the basics. My trainer pushed me to the max- my shins were bruised from kicking the heavy bag, my knees were bruised from learning the clench, and my ego was bruised from watching how good everyone else was.

As much as I enjoyed training, I made the difficult decision to put my life on hold and travel overseas. I spent two years living overseas, and every time I found myself somewhat stationary, I would find a Muay Thai gym and train when I could. It wasn't until I returned to the US and decided to settle down that my journey into the world of fighting truly began.